It is known that the radiation power of an antenna can be increased in a mobile phone system, that is usually a portable radio telephone, by inserting a radio frequency power amplifier, a so called booster, between the phone and the antenna. In practise, amplification in the receiving direction must be arranged as well. To avoid extra expenses the structure of the booster is usually kept very simple, for example containing only the necessary power amplifier stages.
In principle a booster amplifier could be connected also to a digital portable radio telephone in the same manner as with analog phones, but the practical solution would be very difficult and expensive. In digital operation the strict timing requirements on the transmit and receive function cause problems, since the signals are sent in short successive bursts which should also be identified in reception. The transmit pulse timing must also be independent of the power level of the transmitter. The power gain control aims at decreasing the noise level in the network, e.g. in the cellular net, and decreasing the power consumption of the phone. For example in the GSM system (Global System for Mobile Communication) the power level setting is based on measurements made at the base stations, there being 16 power levels in the range from +43 dBm to +13 dBm.
In a digital portable radio telephone the timing as well as the wave shape of the leading and the trailing edges of the transmit pulse should remain unmodified also when a booster is used. This leads to the fact that, according to the prior art, the booster power amplifier should be a perfectly linear, preferably class A amplifier. That implies that the booster is required to provide a high output power and high frequency at low operating voltage, e.g. 12 V when used in a car. Furthermore the linearization requires a high bias current and as a result the efficiency of the booster is quite minimal. In addition the booster would be expensive and difficult to implement.